Improved tree-protector



W. W. TAYLOR.

Tree-Protector. No. 29,730 Patented Aug. 21.1860.

' I Inventor.

Witnesses;

6 Wwa h PHOT0LITHU. CD.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. TAYLOR, OF SOUTH DARTMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVED TREE-PROTECTO R.

i p Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 29,730, datedAugust 21,1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WM. W. TAYLOR, of South Dartmouth, in the county ofBristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful.improvement in the construction of tree-protectors designed to entrapand destroy noxious insects, such as creep up and down the body of thetree; and I hereby declare the following to be a full and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsand references thereof. .The invention consists, first, in the manner ofmaking the trough in two or more parts and put together as hereinaftershown second, in the use of a cloth or other equivalent screen as asubstitute for packing between the trough and the tree third, in themethod of using the roof or dome cover B of the trough.

, In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 'represents the form of thetrough A for holding thejliquid used to entrap the insects, cast orotherwise made in two pieces. Fig. 2 shows the dome, generally made oftin-plate, and

. capable of being set as an inverted cone when required. Fig. 3 is asemi-sectional view, showing the tree, the trough, the dome, and thecloth screen in place. The same is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 4 showsthe adaptation of the inverted dome to inclined trees. Fig. 6 representsa section of the protector with the cloth attached to flange W.

In the drawings, A represents the trough, of cast metal.

B represents the dome or cover, generally of sheet metal.

(3 represents the tree.

D represents the cloth screen, arranged between the trough and tree.

(1 represents an iron or metal ring, to which the cloth is fastened bypinching the metal against it or by sewing it to the metal.

d represents a belt fastened around the lower part of the cloth,fastening it to the tree.

The roof or cover B of my protector is made with the concavity of thedome on the under -side when the trees are erect; but when the tree isinclined or crooked, with short bends, &c., then I invert the cover soas to have the concavity above instead of beneath. The object of thisinverting of the cover so as to present the concave part above ischiefly to obviate the expense of, making alarger cover, otherwiserequired to prevent the fall of rain and leaves of trees and the 'sunsrays from entering the troughs and'deteriorating the the cover andturning the rain and water upon the body of the tree, and which findsits way down between the body of the tree and the trough, as shown inthe drawings, Figs. 4 and 5. This whole device, as shown in Fig. 5,Where the cloth screen extends down from the inner edge of the circulartrough, presents an additional point of utility. The cloth screen hasbeen called a substitute for the packing generally used between the treeand the trough, which becomes a nidus for the breeding of insects, andis in that case often pulled out by birds feeding on such insects. The

cloth screen obviates such evils, and besides answers an additionalpurposenamely, it (the cloth) forms a kind of screen for the insects totravel over, and at the same time constitutes an inverted conical bagcapable of being'filled with common salt, which is gradually dissolvedby the rains and damp weather, and gradually trickles down the body ofthe tree, and thus prevents the action of a very noxious insect calledthe borer, that injures very much young apple-trees, peach, quince, andseveral other trees. Common salt is exceedinglypoisonous to theseanimals, and this mode of using it presents to the present apparatusgreat ad vantages not hitherto found in any other of this class ofapparatus.

The salt -is usually mixed up with sawdust or some other dilutingmaterial in about equal measures, and the space between the cloth andthe tree is filled with the mixture. The cloth is sometimes attached toa downward-projecting flange, w, as seen in Fig. 6.

The trough is generally constructed of castiron, as represented in thedrawings,in two pieces, put together with flange-joints, screwbolts, anda gasket of rubber or paper, or even common putty, while it is aroundthe tree. These troughs have been made by striking them up from sheetmetal, as zinc, copper, tin-plate, &c.; but from present experience castis better than wrought metal, and iron preferable to other metals.

The inner flange of the trough is made to receive a metal 1100p usuallyturned over its top or resting on its top in any suitable manner, and towhich hoop the cloth screen or bag is closely attached at its upper end,while the lower end passes down between the trough and the tree in theform of an inverted cone, and is tied closely to the tree at itslowerend, so that insects climbing the tree shall pass over the cloth screenand the outer flange of the trough and through or over the liquid in thetrough in order to get up the tree.

The trough is usually fastened to the tree by means of metal stripssoldered or wires fastened to the inner flange, and the opposite endsnailed to the tree or fastened in any other equivalent way.

The roof or dome is made conical or coneavoconvex, with the idea ofshedding rain, so large as merely to carry the drip outside of thetrough. This arrangement of the dome answers perfeotly well for allcases where the tree is erect; but when the body of the tree isinclined, either generally or in short bends, the trough beingnecessarily horizontal, I find it much more economical to invert thedome and turn all the drip toward the tree. This arrangement and theobject of it having been already described require no furtherexplanation here. There are mistakes sometimes made by the workman insetting the trough too near the edge of the dome, so that the insectsmay be supposed to pass directly from the outer flange or edge of thetrough to the outer edge of the dome, and thence directly up the tree,without passing through the liquid in the trough and this is true whenthe trough and the dome are of the same metal; but when the trough ismade of one metal and the dome of another the animal cannot or will notpass from the trough directly to the dome, from the fact that the animalwhile one part of his body touches the metal of the trough and theothertouehes the metal of the dome a galvanic circuit is formed betweenthe two metals and the animal, which is galvanized theinstant he touchesthe metal of the dome. The shock causes him to fall back on the outeredge of the trough, and any subsequent effort of the animal in the sameway is attended with the same result. Under these circumstances thesupposed danger in placing the dome and trough too near each other isonly real when the two are made of the same metal. It is also acondition of the galvanic current being formed that the trough and thedome'shall have in some part of their substance a metallic contact, themoisture of the animal having the same effect as an intervening liquidusually required in galvanic circuits of various kinds.

Having now fully described the nature of the invention and the method ofcarrying the same into full operation, what I claim as my invention, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Making the tree-protecting trough in two parts, prepared and puttogether substantially as set forth in the specification.

2. The use of the cloth screen or its equivalent for the purpose ofguiding the insects climbing over the trough in place of the packing nowused, and as a receptacle for salt or its equivalent, all in the mannerand for the purposes set forth.

3. Arranging the dome of a tree-protector so as to throw the drip towardthe tree and between the trough and the tree, substantially as setforth.

WM. W. TAYLOR. Witnesses:

S. D. GALE, Gnnon OARLETON.

